Carmelo Anthony On Recruiting Players To Join Knicks: “I Think I’m A Good Salesman”
The New York Knicks have so much work to do this offseason. In the midst of the worst season in franchise history, after welcoming Phil Jackson back as president, hiring Derek Fisher as head coach, and re-signing Carmelo Anthony, a form of rebuilding was expected this season.
The only sign of progress for the Knicks this season has been letting players go and clearing cap space to add major salaries this offseason. There are some special players that will be available to pursue as free agents this summer – LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Goran Dragic, and Rajon Rondo to name a few. Carmelo thinks the Knicks can attract some with his help, via Ian Begley of ESPN New York:
Carmelo doesn’t think #Knicks‘ record will scare away FAs: “I think I’m a good salesman. But we’ll see what happens when that time comes.”
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 12, 2015
If Carmelo thinks of himself as a businessman, this sales pitch is the most important of his career. Even though he has Phil Jackson and the Big Apple to reference in his pitch, the challenge will surely be to lure some of these players away from their current situations, especially if they’re winning situations.
If players are interested in helping Carmelo and Phil build the Knicks back up to elite status, as Melo put it, we’ll certainly find out when the time comes this summer.
